1. Field of the Invention
The present invention relates to a midair and pseudo-underwater observation apparatus installed at a facility, which needs to attract guests and customers like a hotel or a commercial facility, for example, as well as in an amusement park or a theme park.
2. Description of the Prior Art
An observation wheel including a number of gondolas secured to a large circular wheel is to enjoy a view from a high position. Various types of observation wheels are installed and operated, while observation wheels for enjoying only the underwater view, or for enjoying both of the midair view and the underwater view have been proposed since it is considered to be nice to enjoy not only the midair view but also the underwater view and marine life view at the same time in a continuous manner. With this background, it is considered to install the underwater observation wheel, or the underwater and midair observation wheel in an artificial pond of an amusement park, the seashore in a marine park or the like.
The followings are the examples of this kind of underwater and midair observation wheel.
[Patent Document 1] Japanese Patent Publication No. H07-75690.
[Patent Document 2] Japanese Patent Publication No. H05-154256.
One form of a conventional underwater and midair observation wheel is the one in which the gondolas having a hermetically sealed structure move under the water (Patent Document 2), and the other form thereof is the one in which the gondolas have the structure same as that of an ordinary midair observation wheel and a cover is arranged to cover the whole movement locus of the gondolas (Patent Document 1).
In the above-mentioned form in which the gondolas have the hermetically sealed structure, it takes a long time for the large-diameter wheel, which rotates comparatively slowly, to rotate once and return to a position for getting on and off. Therefore, it is necessary to provide a device for supplying oxygen at least during the movement in the water. Equipment for it is expensive and the running cost is incurred. Further, it is dangerous when the level of oxygen increases.
The other conventional underwater and midair observation wheel in which the cover is provided to cover the whole movement locus of the gondolas (Patent Document 1) is structured so that the gondolas may move in a donut-shaped tube-like body. In this structure, there is the problem that a passage for evacuation can not be secured easily being disturbed by the gondolas because of the donut-shaped tube-like body when the observation wheel stops due to an accident. Further, when the cover is damaged in the water causing inundation, the inside of the tube-like body is immersed even when the passengers can go out of the gondolas, which is more dangerous. Since the gondolas move inside the tube-like body also in the air, the passengers are covered with both of the gondolas and the tube-like body, which is made of a transparent material though, the passengers have a cooped-up feeling and are difficult to enjoy the liberating feeling.
To solve the above-mentioned problem, the inventor of this invention proposed to provide an underwater and midair observation apparatus which eliminates a need for the hermetically sealed structure of the gondolas by installing a casing separately from the observation wheel, and enables easy evacuation even when the observation wheel stops due to an accident.
[Patent Document 3] Japanese Patent Publication H2008-100072.
According to the above-mentioned invention, a casing 5 which is open-topped and made of a transparent material is arranged from the underwater to the water surface so that the observation wheel 1 can be operated in the state of being insulated from the water.
The above-mentioned invention was excellent in the sense that the problems in the previous underwater and midair observation apparatuses were solved. However, there is the problem that large-scale construction works like waterproof work or a caisson method for installing the casing in the water is needed, which are very expensive.
Further, since the casing is structured in the sea, a river, a lake or the like as in the conventional cases, there still remains the problem that the surrounding seawater or freshwater endlessly flows into the observation wheel when the casing is broken if the worst case should happen like an earthquake, which is very dangerous.
Furthermore, the place of installation of the observation wheel is limited to the area where there is the seawater or the freshwater like the sea, the river or the lake. Therefore, the observation wheel cannot be installed at an intended place like an urban area with buildings of commercial facilities, or a resort hotel or the like in a desert area etc.
In addition, the passengers of the observation wheel are not surely guaranteed the view of swimming fish or the like when it comes to the natural sea, river or lake, and there is a problem of lack of representation effects as underwater viewing.